A Bet Worth More Than Money Part One
by JustAnotherFangirlAtHeart
Summary: Human AU; Part one of five (or four). Antonio and Lovino. Two men with a passion for tomatoes and Mediterranean cuisine. One lives in the rural area of their warm town, Halifax, Nova Scotia, while the other live in the suburbs. Their friendship seems complex, but stays intact no matter what. Yet, can there be something more when a bet is placed? Spamano, Gerita and Prucan.
1. Tomato Fields and Messes

**A Bet Worth More Than Money Part One**

_Chapter One: Tomato Fields and Messes_

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Non possiedo Hetalia

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Fields. Lots a' fields. Have a guess at what is in these fields? … Tomatoes. Tomatoes upon tons of tomatoes. With their stalks reaching for the blue hovering above them, the fruits had begun to ripen for their harvesters. In the mist of all these plants, two brown-haired men were working to pluck enough tomatoes for a meal before the sun went down.

With the sun hovering over the horizon, one of the men walked out of the fields of tomatoes with a frown. His hair seemed to have recently been matted down by sweat, while one strand curled out to the right. The man had his bronze eyes narrowed with a hue of blacks under them. In his lightly tanned arms was a woven basket of newly-picked tomatoes, waiting to be eaten. Putting the basket down on the damp grown, the man started to shout out into the fields.

"Antonio, get your ass out of those damn fields, and help me with the rest of the tomatoes!" the brown-haired man yelled to no particular spot in the fields. A shout of understanding came from his left, so he headed back out into the fields where he originally came from.

The highly tempered man walked deep into the vines, and sitting at his feet were three more baskets of the red fruit. Picking one of them up, he left for the non-irrigated land where he left the first basket.

Once at the said destination, the other man was waiting for him with a smile. The tempered man growled at Antonio, placing down the basket next to the taller man. Upon the taller man's arrival, there where three more baskets that were laying on the grown. The shorted of the two waved his hand to show the other to follow him, to whom complied. They marched out to the placement of the remaining baskets, and each man picking one up.

They returned, placing them with the others. With a scoff, the one with the curl put his hands on his hips. "Thats it for today, huh?" Antonio nodded at his words. "Hah, I got more that you, tomato bastard!" he hissed.

"Ah, but that means you care about tomato picking more that I do, Lovino! Thats not a bad thing, right?" Antonio replied. Lovino just rolled his eyes, and started heading to the coral coloured house with one of the baskets of tomatoes.

"Get the baskets into the garage, lazy idiota!" the shorter of the two nagged. Antonio heard, and picked up two baskets. He ran after Lovino, smiling at him once he had caught up. The Italian looked at the amount of baskets his friend was carrying, and glared at him. "Don't try to be showing off, Antonio!" he growled. The taller man just shrugged, saying that wasn't what he was trying to do. Lovino deemed it a lie, and went to open the garage door.

It opened with ease, letting the duo inside its cold room. They placed the baskets on top of one of the multiple freezers. Once unloaded, they headed back out for more. This time, though, Lovino tried taking two, also. There was four left, so why not? He tried his best to keep them balanced, and succeeded. … Until he ended up tripping into the garage. Antonio quickly, but gently, placed his share of baskets down, and went to tend to his friend.

"Whoa, there, Lovi! Are you okay, mi amigo?" The Spaniard asked, holding out his hand to help him up. Lovino swatted the hand away, and got up by himself.

"Yes, I am, Antonio…." the shorter man replied with sarcasm dripping on every word. Antonio smiled, nodding, not hearing the sarcasm. "… Of corse, I'm not, you jerk!" Lovino added. The other man's smile faltered, his eyes showing sympathy. "I mean, look at me!" he shouted. Antonio eyed the man from head to toe, seeing squished tomatoes all over his clothing and skin.

"Oh, my bad, Lovi." the taller man cooed. He went over to his friend and wiped some of the fruit off his flustered face. With another tender smile, the Spaniard put his baskets with the others on the freezer, and went to get cleaning supplies.

Lovino stood there, pouting. _Dio, this is embarrassing! …I needed to take a shower, anyways._ And with that thought, he walked into the house, leaving a small trail of tomato juice behind him. Lovino soon entered the bathroom, and started running the water.

Back with the taller of the two, he was in the garage cleaning the puddle of red fruit. Within no time, the mess was non-existent. With a puff of accomplishment, he took the basket inside, placing it in the sink. Before he left to get some tomatoes for their meal, he heard his friend showering. Chuckling, he snuck over to the unlocked door. Opening it without a sound, he heard the man mumbling curses left and right. After taking in his surroundings, he covered his eyes, then whipped the curtains back to show the shorter man in the nude.

Lovino screamed and yelled at the Spaniard, but noticed he cared enough to cover his eyes. But after his storm of swears, Antonio had go into a laughing fit, thus moving his hand to his belly. His eyes were scrunched shut, though, from the laughing. Giving the man a glare he wouldn't see, he closed the curtains with sass.

"Get the hell out, you pervert!" the Italian demanded. Antonio listened to his orders, and cooled his laughing before leaving the humid room.

Once out, he left for the garage to get some tomatoes. The Spaniard got a few, and headed back into the kitchen. He diced them, and began to make his desired dish.

Lovino had shut off the shower, drying himself off, as well as his brown hair; he avoided the curl. Once he was dressed, he opened the door, only to be hit by spices and other extravagant smells. Taking a deep breath in, he let his feet be guided by the aroma. The Italian reached the kitchen, and found his friend seated at the table, which had two dishes of Spanish food sitting atop it. With an amused hum, he sat down across from Antonio, and began eating.

"How is it?" the Spaniard asked. His friend nodded with approval, making the man across from him smile with more enthusiasm. Antonio dug back into his food.

Soon enough, both of them finished their meal. Before Lovino could leave, his companion began speaking.

"Are you tired?" Antonio questioned. Lovino rolled his eyes, shaking his head as a no. "Then you don't mind staying up with me to watch some TV before you leave tomorrow?" The Italian hung his head with disproval, and made his way to the living room. The Spaniard followed him like a puppy, and soon both were sitting on the sofa, TV on and blaring.

Lovino had started to nod off after the first twenty minutes of the show, and Antonio soon noticed. Chuckling, he waited for his friend to fall asleep. Once he did, the Spaniard picked him up bridal style, and took him to the guest room. He placed the sleeping man under the covers gently, and gave him a quick kiss to the forehead before leaving.

"Buenas noches, Lovi~!"


	2. Smooth moves

**A Bet Worth More Than Money Part One**

_Chapter Two: Smooth moves_

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Non possiedo Hetalia

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With a stretch and a wide yawn, the man thrashed the covers around as he flipped sides. … Then he noticed. "How the hell did I end up in bed? Damn tomato bastard, you better not have carried me!" he cried. As he went to nag more, the door to the bedroom opened, showing the Spaniard.

"Buenos días, Lovino!" Antonio chirped. His smile never left his face when the Italian glared daggers at him. With a chuckle, the taller of the two walked over to the heap of clothes that was next to a suitcase. "I don't know why you stay for a while longer, Lovi." he added, trying to fold up the clothing at his feet. A growl escaped the short man's throat, and threw his night shirt over to the Spaniard, to angry at the statement to noticed being called 'Lovi'.

"Hey, I have a younger brat of a twin brother to attend to, and I have a life outside of _tomatoes_!" Lovino hissed. Antonio just sighed, and folded the shirt that was thrown at him. Soon enough, the suitcase was packed with the Italian's clothing. Antonio stood up with it in hand, and left to room to put it in the garage.

Lovino got out of bed, mumbling to himself, and went to the washroom. He brushed his teeth, hair and washed his face. Once he deemed himself worthy enough to show his face to the public, he left to go get new clothes. Thats when he realized the Spaniard had pack them up.

"ANTONIO, bring my suitcase back here, as well as your sorry ass!" the brown-haired man screamed. Antonio was quick to respond, and was there in no time. He dropped the suitcase pathetically, apologizing to his friend. After Lovi forgave him, in his own way, the Italian shooed the taller of the two out of the room. He changed quickly, and packed his suitcase up, leaving it in the garage.

When he got back to the kitchen, he smelt breakfast; scrambled eggs, fried tomatoes, and toast. Inhaling it deeply, he sat down at the clean table, and waited for his dish.

"Do you know when you will come back, Lovi?" Antonio asked his friend.

Growling, Lovino responded, "One, don't call me 'Lovi', and two, how should I know?" The Spaniard then placed two plates of freshly made breakfast in front of his chair and Lovino's. He shrugged as a response, and began eating. The Italian followed his example, and dug into the tomatoes first. While he ate, he felt like he was forgetting something.

Satisfied with the amount eaten, Lovino got up and walked over to the garage. Antonio followed him, loading the suitcase into the trunk of a 458-spider Ferrari. Lovino watched him load the trunk, and could help but stop and stare. _… Did I really just do that? Snap out of it, idiota! _Even in his self-argument, he stared at Antonio. The taller of the two noticed this, and chuckled. That broke the Italian's thought, and blushed.

"Don't you _dare _compare me to a tomato!" he yelled to Antonio. He quickly shut his mouth, and smiled once again. The Italian then got into the drivers seat, and put the keys in, starting the engine.

Before Lovino could pull out of the garage, the Spaniard's franticly waving arms stopped him. With a sigh, he stopped the vehicle, and slid the window down to talk.

"Yes, tomato bastard? I want to get home before noon." the Italian nagged.

"Theres something I want to try! Can I, please?" Antonio begged. Lovino rolled his eyes once again, and nodded harshly. The Spaniard then put his head through the opened window, pecking Lovi's lips. He gasped, and shoved Antonio's smirking head out the window, rolling it back up. His face burnt red once again, and then raced out of the garage, and down the driveway.

Antonio laughed at his friend's reaction, and went over to the baskets of tomatoes. He picked one up, and remembered that Lovino wanted to take some home. With a sigh, he picked the basket up, and went back into his house. He decided to call Lovi later, and if he didn't want to come back to the farm, he would go to him.

Back with the Italian, he parked in the garage that was attached to his ash grey house. The second the garage door shut, the door connecting it the garage to the house swung open, hitting the wall in its path. A man bearing resemblance to Lovino rushed out to the car, waving at the brown-haired man inside. He moved his hand to show 'open the door' while mouthing those words. The Italian sighed, and did as told.

"Oh, fratello, its nice to see you made it home safely!" the ginger man exclaimed. Lovino huffed, and unloaded the trunk of his convertible.

Carrying his suitcase to the now damaged door, the Italian responded, "Yeah, yeah. The jerk was begging me to stay, but I knew you _couldn't wait _for me to get home." His brother nodded vigorously, following the other inside.

Lovino placed his suitcase onto his bed, sighing, then unpacking it. After that was done, he joined the puppy of a man in the living room. Just before he could sit down in a chair that looked rather comfy at the moment, the phone rang. Growling the usual frown, he left the living room for the kitchen. He picked up the phone, hissing a greeting into it.

"Hola, Lovino~!" Antonio replied. "Just called to say you forgot the basket of tomatoes you wanted!" The Italian faced palmed, remembering that that was what he forgot.

"Well, I'm to lazy to drive back out there, bastard. … I don't give a fuck if you deliver them, but I prefer you don't." Lovino answered. An audible sigh came from the other end.

"I'm coming over tomorrow, then. Adiós for now, Lovi~!" he said, then hung up right after. The Italian groaned at the Spaniard's forgetfulness.

Under his breath, he said, "Don't call me Lovi." And with that, he left for bed.


	3. Morning Troubles

**A Bet Worth More Than Money Part One**

_Chapter Three: Morning Troubles_

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Non possiedo Hetalia

* * *

The next morning, Lovino had awoke to the face of his fratello, who was smiling with teeth. The grump of the two sat up quickly, head butting the more bubbly Italian. With a groan from Feliciano, Lovino got up and out of bed.

"Ow, fratello, why did you do that…?" Feliciano whined. The other Italian just rolled his eyes and picked out some clothing for the day. He put them on, and left the room that held his annoying little brother. Feliciano saw this, and ran after Lovino. "But Lovino, Antonio is here! You need to look decent…!" he added.

"He is _what_?" Lovino said in a threatening tone while stopping in his tracks. "What time is it?" he hiss-whispered. His brother pointed to the clock down the hall, which read ten fifty three. The grumpy Italian moaned, frustrated at his acquaintance's persistence to be around him. "For the love of…. tell him I will be out soon." he concluded with a sigh.

Lovino dragged himself around the house, and locked himself in his bathroom. He pouted the whole time, making his movements slower than necessary. Once he had washed up, he looked at himself in the mirror. "Jeez, do I always wake up looking like a zombie…?" he asked to thin air. Lovino then left the bathroom, sliding his feet as he walked. He once again locked the door, but to his bedroom. The Italian got dressed in sunday clothing, which was sweat pants and a loose-hanging t-shirt.

Lovino left the bedroom for the living room, and found the Spaniard zoned out on the couch with a basket of tomatoes in his lap. The grumpy Italian rolled his eyes as he approached Antonio, and put his hands on his hips. When he didn't respond, Lovino tried waving his hands inform of the Spaniard's face. Since that didn't work, either, he snapped his fingers right next to Antonio's left ear. That earned him a jolt from Antonio, who smiled after he got over his surprise.

"Ah, there you are, Lovi~!" Antonio chimed. Lovino swatted the Spaniard before he sat beside him, and took a tomato from the basket, taking a bite. "O-Ow…"

"You deserved it, bastard!" Lovino retorted. He soon finished the tomato, and grabbed another one. "… Thanks for bring them, I guess." the italian added with a sense monotone. Antonio just smiled at him, and put the basket in his friend's lap. He got up, stretching quickly, then picked up the basket.

"You don't mind if I put these away, Lovino?" the Spaniard asked. Lovino got up, took one more tomato, then nodded. Antonio then left to the kitchen, and nearly ran into Feliciano. "Oh, my bad, Feli!" he exclaimed. The Italian just smiled, and shrugged. The taller male then got to the fridge, and put the tomatoes away, dusting his hands off.

He turned around to go find Feliciano to see if he could help with anything, and ended up finding him on the phone. Being a curious man, he tried to hear who he was talking to.

"Oh, hehe! Yeah, I have a guest over, though. Sorry…! Maybe later," the younger Italian chirped into the phone,"when he leaves?" When Antonio heard that, he felt the need to leave earlier then wanted so Feliciano could go through with whatever plans he had. Before he got to lost in his thoughts, the auburn haired man began to speak again. "Yeah, maybe around two? … Okay, arrivederci, Ludwig~!" Feliciano said before turning off the phone. The brown-haired man giggled once he figured out who Feliciano was talking to.

The Spaniard then ran around his little corner, and smiled when he got back to Lovino. "What the hell took you so long, Antonio?" Lovino exclaimed, narrowing his eyes. Before he could give a response, the Italian continued. "You better have not been going through Feliciano's and my stuff!" Antonio just sat down beside the Italian, and said nothing. "… You did, didn't you?" He just shook his head, and waited for Lovino to throw a threat or fist at him.

When a fist came down somewhat harshly on his shoulder, he just chuckled. "Don't worry, I was just making sure the basket stayed up-right." Antonio fibbed. Lovino gave off a scoff, then turned on the TV, trying to ignore the Spaniard next to him.

Along with the more aloof atmosphere, the younger Italian come in to join them. Plopping himself down into the chair beside the couch, he started zoning out while watching the show that was on. Lovino noticed this, and kicked the chair to wake his brother up.

"You usually only do that when you are excited as heck. … What did you do, now?" Lovino questioned. Feliciano built up a light blush on his cheeks, and giggled.

"Oh, I'm just happy because Luddy might be coming over later today~!" Feliciano responded. The grumpy Italian's eyes widened. He fumbled on forming words, then got up, storming off to the garage door. Antonio immediately followed the mad Italian, and saw him getting into his car. He tried to back out once the garage door opened, but Antonio's car was right behind him. With a few curses, he got out, glaring at the Spaniard to make a move.

He complied, and started walking to his car. Once he reached down for the handle to the divers seat door, he had an idea.

"Hey, Lovino, why don't I drive you some where? I mean, you don't have work, so we could go into town or something." the Spaniard suggested. Lovino sighed, hanging his head. He then stomped over to the other vehicle, getting into the passengers seat, and slamming the door behind him. Antonio smiled, and got into the car, also.

"Where to, jerk?" Lovino hissed.

"How about… the park?" Antonio responded. The Italian nodded with regret, and they left the property.


	4. Songs and Scares

**A Bet Worth More Than Money Part One**

_Chapter Four: Songs and Scares_

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Non possiedo Hetalia

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The car ride was not short and sweet. First of all, going into town from where Lovino lived made it quite the ride. Second, the Spaniard wouldn't shut up. At least Antonio stopped his rambling from time to time when Lovino swatted the back of his head. Antonio went on and on about how nice it was out at the moment, or about his tomato farm. He just wouldn't shut up.

When Lovino had enough, he swats the Spaniard on the one last time, making it hard enough to completely shut him up. Once the cozy silence settled in, Antonio decided to put on the radio. The song that the station was playing was _'Torero'_. The taller of the to got giddy, since it was one of his favourite songs.

_"__De lunes a domingo voy desesperado, el corazón prendido en el calendario…" _Antonio sung, earning a growl from his friend. With another bright smile, he patted Lovino's head, and started to sing along once more. _"Buscándote y buscando como un mercenario, tú dime dónde estás, que yo no te he encontrado…" _

The Italian sulked for the rest of the car ride, and that encouraged the Spaniard to try to light the mood. An upset Lovino meant an upset Antonio. With this in mind, Antonio parked his car, and got out, waiting for Lovino. When he didn't come out of the car, the Spaniard went over to the passengers seat side of the car. He saw his companion still pouting, crossing his arms.

"Come on, Lovi~! We have places to be and people to see…!" Antonio exclaimed into the slightly opened window. He saw Lovino let out a heavy sigh, then went to open the door. The Spaniard moved out of the way when he noticed Lovino was aiming for him. "Thats mean…."

The taller of the two went to the trunk, and took out a pack of tomatoes. Lovino eyed him with curiosity. '_Snacks, really?' _the Italian thought. Shaking it off, he watched as the Spaniard started walking to the park. Antonio began waving at him when he didn't follow.

"I don't wanna wait all day for you, amigo!" Antonio exclaimed, putting his hands on his hips with a smirk. Lovino gave off a sigh, crossed his arms, then began following his companion.

They eventually ended up walking together without one walking behind the other. Whenever Antonio got to close, and ended up making their shoulders or hands touch, the grumpy of the two would growl, and push the Spaniard off the trail. He found himself very entertained by the way he yelped, and that helped with his fowl mood.

One time, when their hands brushed against one another, that caused a blush to rise of the Italian's face. He pushed Antonio away, but what he did to put a twist on it, was that the Spaniard got a grip on Lovino's wrist, and took him down with him. Antonio fell down face first, while Lovino landed on him. Before the Italian could collect his thoughts, he felt something slimy on his arms.

Looking down at Antonio, he saw a puddle of red mush-like liquid flowing away from them. He screamed, jumping to the conclusion that it was Antonio's blood. "Oh m-mio dio! Antonio!?" he shouted, and didn't get a response. Fear started coursing through his veins, and got off the taller of the two. Lovino flipped Antonio over to see what he could do to help.

It was then that he heard the Spaniard start to chuckle. The fear that was once present in his eyes had clouded over with confusion. Antonio started to sit up, taking in big gulps of air before starting to full-out laugh. Lovino just stared at him in shock and anger.

"W-What the hell was that a-about, idiota…!? I thought you were dying!" Lovino hissed through clenched teeth. When Antonio subdued his fit, he smiled at the Italian.

"T-Thats the tomatoes that got squished!" he tried to explain.

"Then why didn't you respond to me…?" Lovino interrogated.

With a sigh, the Spaniard said, "I had lost my breath from the fall, so I couldn't talk or breath at the moment." Lovino just rolled his eyes, blushing, then added a pout. "… Sorry for worrying you, Lovi…." Antonio added. The shorter of the two got up, and started walking, then running away from the whole scene.

Once Lovino got to a nice secluded bench, he sits down and tried to calm down. _'That… was embarrassing…'_ the Italian thought. _'Tch, the mess that will be stained on his clothing will be horrid….'_ While lost in his thoughts, his cell phone began to ring. He was startled by it, but recovered to answer it.

"Ciao, Lovino Vargas here." the Italian began. On the other line was silence, before a soft, whimpered _'Fratello'_ came through the speaker. With a sigh, Lovino closes his eyes. "What, Feliciano."

"I'm sorry, but…" Feliciano started, "… Why don't you like Luddy?" Before Lovino could reply, his brother cut him off. "I mean, I wanna be friends with him, hang around him, but he doesn't want to anger you! Please, could you be nicer to him…?" he begged.

"I…" the grumpy brother began, but then thought back to how happy his brother seemed just talking about his 'friend'. "Fine. I will try, but I won't put that much freaking effort into it!" he finalized. A small cheer came from the cellphone, which gave Lovino the urge to crack a small smile. Shaking the feeling off, Feliciano began talking again.

"Also, fratello, I'm sorry for making you angry…" the younger of the two whimpered.

"Yeah, yeah. Look, I gotta go look for the tomato bastard. Arrivederci." Lovino said, and hung up after getting a goodbye from his brother.

He got off the bench, and decided to go down the path that he had left the Spaniard at. When he didn't see him near the puddle of tomatoes, he decided to go back to the car. Once he reached the vehicle, he saw Antonio in the front seat changing his shirt. He began to feel heat on his cheeks when he realized he was seeing Antonio half-naked. Lovino turned around, and leaned on the car, waiting for his companion.


	5. The Bet

**A Bet Worth More Than Money Part One**

_Chapter Five: The Bet_

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Non possiedo Hetalia

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Antonio soon stepped out of the car wearing a fresh t-shirt, and that always bright smile. Rolling his eyes, Lovino stood up, and started walking back to the park. Antonio tried to slow him down to catch up, but the Italian was fuming. To much had gone wrong on the little trip.

At one point, Antonio managed to catch up to his friend. "Hey, Lovino, I'm sorry that I've been clumsy and annoying, but… I can't help it!" he said with a lopsided smile. Lovino juster stared ahead, ignoring him. With a sigh, Antonio took a hold of the Italian's arm, and started dragging him down a new path. He tried to escape the grip, but the Spaniard would not give in.

Soon enough, they reached a small clearing that had a simple fountain in the middle. Lovino then relaxed a bit, and stopped struggling. Antonio brought them over to the fountain's side, and made Lovino sit.

"Its a nice spot, huh?" the taller of the two brought up. The Italian nodded, and twisted around to look at the fountain. It had a few small cracks here and there, but they didn't seem to affect the old fountain. It seemed that with its increase in age, it increased in grace.

Lovino kept thinking about the beauty he found in the structure, when Antonio put a hand on his shoulder, startling him. "Lo siento." Antonio mumbled when Lovino jumped, ending up with a glaring companion. "I, uh, I've noticed something." he continued, while Lovino nodded. "Your brother really likes Ludwig!" the Spaniard put bluntly.

The Italian stood up, and growled. "Hey, I get that kind of statement from my fratello enough, without the bluntness! Thanks a lot, captain obvious!" Lovino hissed. With that, he started stomping away once again. Antonio quickly got up, and caught his friend by the wrist.

"Thats not that point! I've also noticed that Gilbert has a liking towards Matthew." That got Lovino's attention. He stopped, and turned around to face Antonio.

"Go on." the Italian snarled. Antonio led him back to the fountain, encouraging Lovino to sit once more. With a questioning smile, the Spaniard continued.

"I have a bet!" he exclaimed, his smile back to something less abnormal. The Italian stared at him like he had two heads.

"Like I'm gonna fall for a stupid trap!"

"But who ever wins, they have control over the loser!" Before the grumpier of the two could retort, Antonio hushed him. "… And I know you don't like to lose." he added. While Lovino was quiet, he decided to declare the bet. "The bet is that the first of us to a friend or family member into a relationship, like I said earlier, has control over the other for a day."

Lovino frowned deeper. With a huff, he turned to the side to think it through. 'Fratello is… ugh… rather attached to that German bastard. I could win this…!' he thought. Turning back to face Antonio, he nodded with a smirk heavy in triumph.

"Ya know," the Italian started, "I don't even know why you would start this bet! I can see that I _will _win this, with Feliciano being so attacked to… _him_." Antonio chuckled, and ruffled his hair.

"I have a funny feeling I will win… So don't be to sure of yourself!" the Spaniard retorted. Lovino rolled his eyes, and got up. He grabbed Antonio's wrist, and started dragging him back to the car.

"First, when does this start?" the Italian asked. Antonio pointed down, showing 'here and now'. "Good. Then lets get a move on, idiota!" The taller of the two chuckled, and let Lovino hold him by his arm. They speed walked back to Lovino's car. "I'll drive this time." he demanded the Spaniard. Antonio shrugged, and patted the Italian's head.

They got into their seats and buckled up. The shorter of the two started the car, and drove out of the parking lot. Soon enough, they were driving back through the city once more. After the many twist and turns of urban roads, they were back into the rural area.

The Italian parked on the driveway next a Volkswagen. Growling, he calmed himself. _This is all for the reward of having Antonio under your control for a day. … I'll make it two when I win. _Lovino thought, while trying not to gag. Shaking his head, he hopped out of the car, and waited for the taller of the two. Once he stepped out of the car, the grumpy Italian dragged the Spaniard into the house.

They went in through the front door, to which it was unlocked. "Stupid Feli…" Lovino mumbled. The duo came to meet the sight of Ludwig and Feliciano cooking in the kitchen. Their aprons matched, and by the looks of it, they were making cupcakes. The Italian had to hold back an uproar of laughter, but let it ring when a blushing German faced them.

"Uh, sorry. I should get going, then, Feliciano." Ludwig said with new found pride. Feliciano pouted, but soon smiled, hugging his blond friend. The German once again blushed, and removed the apron. He folded it, nodded to the brown haired men at the front door, then left for his vehicle.

Lovino smirked. _This is in the bag for me!_ he thought. "Well," he started, "You better get going now Antonio." He turned to face the Spaniard. "Ciao, and 'good luck'." he stressed, pushing Antonio back out there door.

"Wait, Lovi!" he pleaded. Lovino gave him a glare. "Can I… Can I give you a goodbye kiss?" The Italian felt blood rush to his cheeks.

"N-no way you idio-" Lovino hissed, but was cut off by Antonio kissing his cheek. "… I _will_ kick you in the balls one day, tomato bastard!" And with that, the Spaniard left a dazed Italian to fume at the door. With a smile, a wave, and the hum of an engine, he was gone.

"… God, what would he pull if he won?" Lovino said softly, retreating back into his house.

* * *

**_OH MY GOSH _**_I'm so sorry! I'm not abandoning the story, just to let you know. Finals came around, then my computer time got pulled back to an hour a day ;-; It sucks! And even over the summer! *le pout* Anyways, I will still try to update when I can. I have no set date for the updates, since I don't know how this will work our yet. Thanks to those who are still reading~! _

_~JustAnotherFangirlAtHeart_


	6. Antonio's First Move

**A Bet Worth More Than Money Part One**

_Chapter Six: Antonio's First Move_

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Non possiedo Hetalia

* * *

Once the Spaniard got back to his cozy house in the country, he relaxed into a chair in the living room. He turns on the TV, trying to find something to distract him. Boredom and sleepiness was creeping up behind him. With a quick slap to his face, Antonio got up to make dinner.

Since he didn't have any meat thawed, he settled with making Spanish rice and caesar salad. As he started to boil the water for the rice, his mind wandered back to the bet. _I can see that Feli and Ludwig are close, but my friends are players! _Antonio thought, chuckling. _They can almost get with anyone they want if they really want to. … Especially Gilbert._

The Spaniard noticed he had let the water come to a boil while in his own thought bubble. He rushed back over to the stove, and turned the heat down. Adding the rice, he started cleaning the romaine lettuce off in the sink. Once again, he drifted back to the bet. _Lovi seems confident about this. Well, knowing his brother and Ludwig, it would seem nearly impossible to screw up! Yet, thats why he agreed. _Antonio let out a sigh. _I hope I win this, then things will go according to plan~!_ he thought, humming.

He rinsed off the vegetable, and started chopping it into edible sizes. The Spaniard finished that soon, and checked on the rice. Smiling with a nod, Antonio took some home-made caesar dressing out from the fridge. It made him think of Romano, it being one of his favourite dressings. (But he wouldn't admit out loud that Antonio's home-made dressing was his most favourite.) He placed the romaine lettuce into a large bowl, and mixed in some dressing. Placing it on the table, he took the pot of rice off the stove. He emptied it of water, and put it all on a plate.

Sighing with triumph, he sat down to eat his meal. While he ate, he tried to think of how to start this match maker war. "Well, I guess calling the Prussian to ask him to come over wouldn't be a bad start…"the Spaniard thought aloud.

Sooner than later, he had finished his meal and cleaned the dishes. Smiling brightly, he sauntered to his home phone. Antonio dialled his friends number from memory, and waited for an answer.

"Hallo?" the ruff voice of Gilbert Beilschmidt answered.

"Hola, Gil~!" Antonio responded with enthusiasm. "Do you think you could come over to my place for a bit?" he added quickly.

"Uh," Gilbert started, "looks like I have nothing to do, so ja. Give me a bit, I'll be there soon." Without a goodbye, the albino hung up. Antonio rolled his eyes at his friend.

With that, he sat down in the living room once more. _How should I approach the idea of him targeting Matthew as a boyfriend? Should I be blunt? Should I build up the conversation? Should I…_ the Spaniard dived into 'should I's and kept in the pool until he heard the familiar sound of his doorbell.

Getting up, he marched over to the door with a grin. Antonio opened it, and was greeted by Gilbert.

"Hola again, Gil! Please, come in." the Spaniard exclaimed. He stepped out of the way to make room for the Prussian to come in.

"Ja, ja," Gilbert responded, taking off his shoes. They left the small area of the front door, and went to relax in the living room. The two friends sit across from each other, and the silence seems comfortable. "…Can I ask why you wanted me to come over?"

The Spaniard chuckled. "I guess. I'm just lonely now that Lovinos not around anymore. He just stayed the weekend." he half-lied. It was true that he missed him, but that was definitely not the reason he asked him over.

Gilbert gave him an odd glance. "So you're using me as a replacement for company?"

"I guess, but I really did want to have you over. We haven't talked for a while now." the Spaniard answered. The albino laughed his unusual laugh.

"It seems so. So, now that I've blessed you by letting my awesome presence linger, is there anything on your mind that you can share with me?" he asked obnoxiously. "That doesn't have to do with Lovino." Gilbert quickly added with a smirk.

Antonio tilted his head with confusion. "Is there anything I wouldn't have to say that had not to do with mi tomate?" he boasted. With a sigh, Gilbert shook his head with a smile.

"Dude, I haven't seem him try anything on you yet, only bash on your parade." the albino pointed out.

"I don't care." Antonio said stiffly. "I will find a way, and I think I already have…" he added, zoning-out. His friend kicked him on the leg, making him return to reality.

"Hmph. Good luck with that then." Gilbert mused. Antonio nodded, grinning widely at the albino. "… And look at how we ended up talking about him, anyways." he added with a look of mirth in his eyes.

The brown-haired man rolled his eyes, and sat back a bit more in his chair. "Speaking of such people, hows your progress on wooing Matthew?" he asked with a smirk.

A blush crept onto the albino's face, making his pale complexion stand out. "Uh, heh. Good, I guess?" he whimpered. "I haven't seen him for a few days…" he mumbled.

"Ah, then could I help you win him over?" Antonio asked his friend with sincerity. You could see the hope dance in his eyes. With a cautious glare, the albino hummed in thought.

"I don't see why not." he answered. Antonio kept out of his seat, cheering. "Whats with this enthusiasm for helping me with Birdie, when you need to gain progress with the little devil?" he retorted.

"Oh, nothing special." the Spaniard replied with a smirk. "Call me up when you can make a move!"

With a nod, the Prussian smiled back with a light blush. "Lets do this!"

* * *

_I've arranged when I update my story now~! Everything's good. But, one more __problem guys... I'm gonna be away for a week, so I won't update for another week or two. _

_~JustAnotherFangirlAtHeart_


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